Cheesy Barbecue "Beef" Casserole

3 cups uncooked whole wheat penne

1 onion, chopped

1 bag Morningstar Grillers Crumbles

1 cup Trader Joe's All Natural BBQ sauce

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 cups Natural Triple Cheddar cheese (shredded)



1. Heat oven to 350. Spray 2-quart casserole dish using oil Spray pump

2. Cook and drain pasta according to instructions.

3. In a skillet, cook onion on medium heat for 4 minutes. Add crumbles and cook until crumbles have thawed.

4. Mix drained pasta, beef mixture, parsley, BBQ, and 1 1/2 cup of the cheese in casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

5. Bake uncovered 30 to 40 minutes or until hot in the middle.

Makes 6 servings. 435 calories each.

The cook and the writer recently moved into a home, as has been mentioned in previous blogs, that overlooks the great expanse of the Eastern suburbs of Columbus, OH. Since the move, and decision to embark on this quest to distill Betty's unrefined recipe book, the cook has become refocused on re-energized in her culinary engineering. Buoyed by a bigger kitchen, a reinvigorating challenge, and the ability to enjoy good food in tandem with the pleasant summer sunset from our new private patio, the cook has delved deep into her playbook. And the results have been fantastic! The writer wanted to thank the cook for her hard and dedicated work, and for her liberal usage of fresh herbs atop a hearty pasta meal. For this course, the generous use of parsley added a brightness to the carb-heavy dish, projecting a colorful accent that would make the neighborhood's most accomplished green-thumb pine. The meat crumbles and fresh onions created the texture of a loosely made sloppy joe, and the palate was further conflicted with the taste of barbecue sauce instead of the more traditionally used spaghetti sauce. The bbq added sweetness in the wake of heartiness, and replaced the acidity of tomato sauce with the tang of apple cider vinegar. Despite it's complication and assault on the framework of the writer's culinary common sense, the sum was greater than it's means, and a bite with all the components was delicious and comforting. The only thing to propel a dish like this from a food experience to a life-long memory is sharing the moment with a love-struck writer and his cook, under the watch of a dusk-stricken sky.